Pouch for daylight developing of x-ray films, more particularly dental films



Oct. 25, 1966 L. L. DECROP 3,230,713

POUCH FOR DAYLIGH'P DEVELOPING OF X-RAY FILMS, MORE PARTICULARLY DENTAL FILMS Filed Feb. 17, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR L DECRO P Lam's Oct. 25, 1966 L. L. DECROP 3,230,713

POUCH FOR DAYLIGHT DEVELOPING OF X-RAY FILMS MORE PARTICULARLY DENTAL FILMS Filed Feb. 17, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INvENTaR Louis 1.. 05cm? United States Patent POUCH FOR DAYLIGIIT bEVELOPlNG 0F X-RAY FILMS, MORE PARTICULARLY DENTAL FILMS Louis Lucien Decrop, 10 Avenue Niquet, Antibes, France Filed Feb. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 345,464 Claims priority, application France, Feb. 19, 1963, 925,339, Patent 1,357,043; July 11, 1963, 941,181, Patent 83,987

7 Claims. (Cl. 95-90) The present invention relates to a new pouch for the daylight developing of X-ray films, more particularly, dental films, and it is more particularly applied to a pouch devised for ensuring a proper circulation around a Sensitized plate of a developer solution, whatever the developing process and fixing bath adopted.

In addition to the efficacious passage of the developing solution, the pouch is provided and shaped so as to avoid the forming of air pockets upstream of the evacuation of said solution.

The pouch according to the invention represents an improvement over that disclosed in appli-cants US. Patent 3,195,436, in that the structure is simplified to operate by direct passage of the developing and fixing solutions to the sensitized plate rather than by siphoning with its attendant requirement for a larger pouch and additional passages.

According to the invention, the pouch is characterized in that at its bottom part there is any kind of casing, selected from flexible material opaque to light, but permeable to X-rays, by hot printed lines for defining an enclosure containing a sensitized plate or film and communicating by at least one lateral duct with at least one inlet duct for developing and fixing solutions formed in the casing by passing a certain quantity of water over suitable salts, this enclosure also having an evacuation chamber at its top part for the solutions used, having a triangular transverse section, whose summit is directed towards the top part of the casing.

Various other characteristics of the invention will moreover be revealed by the detailed description which follows.

Embodiments of the invention are shown, by way of non-restrictive examples, in the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is an elevation partly in section, diagrammatically illustrating an embodiment of the pouch according to the invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are elevation-sections digrammatically showing two other embodiments of the pouch.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are diagrammatic perspective views, on a smaller scale, showing a casing according to the invention during various stages of use.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are partial perspective views illustrating three modes of folding the casing.

FIG. 10 is an elevation-section showing another alternative embodiment.

According to the example shown in FIG. 1, the casing 1 is formed of any suitable material, opaque to light but permeable to X-rays, at whose lower part separating lines 2 are hot-printed, defining the definite contour of the pouch 3 for accommodating a sensitized plate or film 9 which is held in place laterally by heels and vertically by a stop, not shown, at the bottom part of the enclosure after positioning the plate or film.

Pouch 3 has an upper edge defined by line 2 directed at an upward angle, so as to prevent the retaining or forming of bubbles or air pockets during the evacuation of developing solutions through an upper portion 50 and an orifice 51 calibrated to enable the flow to be controlled.

It is known that the passage of the solutions on the faces of a plate or film determines the success of developing operations; consequently, it is necessary to obtain a constant stirring for arriving at a developing whose re- 3,239,718 Patented Oct. 25, 1966 sult will be so much the better as the passage speed is greater. Moreover, it was noticed that only the molecules of solution in direct contact with the sensitized plate or film had an action on developing operations, and hence, it is advisable to impart to these solutions a speedy passage and greater stirring operations.

This result can be obtained by making the pouch of a relatively flexible material, so that the pressure set up by the weight of the liquid column placed in the casing and surmounting the pouch causes the opening out of the walls defining a larger passage section. Moreover, this flexibility must also be determined so that the minimum separation caused allows the phenomenon of capillarity to be avoided, this minimum separation having been defined by experiments at a value of at least /2 mm. on either side of the sensitized plate or film.

For obtaining a good developing, it is also necessary carefully to control the evacuation orifice 51 which conditions the duration of the operations, allowing for the flexibility of the walls of the pouch, the quantity of liquid used for developing and hence the size and process employed.

Developer salts 21 are placed in the upper compartment 16, while fixing salts 22 are provided in the compartment 17, the two compartments being separated by another hot printed line 18. These salts are of a special kind so as to be immediately soluble for making the corresponding solutions, when filling with water, which is alternately done in one and other of the compartments, allowing for the duration and chronological sequences of developing operations.

It should be noticed that in this form of execution, as well as in that previously described, it is possible to use, for forming the pouch and casing, a material possessing greater flexibility, able to cause a wider separation of the pouch 3, seeing that the quantity of liquid used is greater than that effecting the working of a siphon casing.

The developing and fixing solutions are made to penetrate into the enclosure 3 through a lateral duct 52 emerging at the bottom part of said enclosure through a passage 53 between the separation line 2 and the bottom of the casing 1.

In FIG. 1, it will be seen that the enclosure disposed so that the plate or film 9 in enclosed transversely in relation to the axis of the casing, but it is quite obvious that the above-mentioned description also applies to an enclosure differently oriented for permitting a longitudinal positioning of the plate or film. According to this figure, the longitudinal separation line 18 is extended downwardly 'by an inclined line 54 so as to form a throttle 54a at the bottom part of the fixing compartment 17, able to be momentarily closed by any suitable means, like, for instance, an elastic element, clip, or clamp 55 forming a transversely mounted grip, whereas the developer compartment 16 communicates directly with the laterally disposed vertical duct 52.

Thus, after placing the developing and fixing salts in compartments 16 and 17, the user can fill both with water as other solvent, the developing solution moving directly through duct 52, towards the enclosure 50, inside of which is rises by the weight of the liquid column surmounting the duct. This solution then suitably bathes the plate or film, previously exposed, and then evacuates through the calibrated orifice 51. After this operation, whose duration is obviously a function of the kind of salts used and the sensitized characteristics of the plate or film employed, the user can then remove the member 55 blocking the fixing solution which can then take the same course for sweeping over the developed plate or film from bottom to top, before being also evacuated through orifice 51. As will be easily understood, the

closing member 55 can also be advantageously replaced by an adhesive or sticking line made in the throttle 54a, so that the walls of the casing can be easily separated from each other at a given moment.

Another embodiment of the pouch is shown in FIG. 2, according to which the upper portion 50 of the enclosure 3 containing the plate or film 9 is only defined at its top part by an inclined folding line 56 marked in the extension of the line 18 separating the compartments 16 and 17. This line 56 is formed by two lines 57 diverging from the separation 18 and whose lower free ends are joined by a third line 58 bent upwardly in its middle part to from a receding angle, at whose centre the evacuation orifice is provided. In this manner, the two compartments 16 and 17 emerge at the top part of the enclosure defined in which the plate or film 9 is placed crosswise, in an analogous manner to that described above, neverthless allowing a sufiicient space to the longitudinal edges of the casing 1 for free flow of solutions. Hence, it is also necessary to provide a closing member 55 for the fixing compartment 17 so as to isolate it during the developing operation.

According to FIG. 3, which illustrates an alternative embodiment, the bent line 56 is extended from the end of one of the lines 57 by a line 59 also hot printed for defining an enclosure 60 with one of the edges of the casing and a lateral duct 61 with the other edge. It is obvious that this particular arrangment enables either a transverse or a longitudinal positioning of the plate or film in relation to the longitudinal axis of the casing. Whatever the embodiment provided for, it is preferable to place the developer salts in the compartment which opens at the top part of the enclosure so that the fixing solution penetrates into the lower part, and on his account, entails a better evacuation through the orifice 51. In a manner analogous to the preceding examples, it is necessary to provide for the positioning of a closing element 55 intended momentarily to interrupt the communication of compartment 17 with duct 61.

As is known, the casing 1 forming the developer pouch, is accordion-pleated so as to reduce its bulk to a practical size, more particularly when used for dental X- ray purposes. This pleating can be advantageously provided for facilitating the handling and the successive developing operations, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6.

According to these figures, the pleating or folding of the casing 1 is such that the first operation of opening out after exposure appears as shown in FIG. 4 in which the compartments 16 and 17 are isolated from the salts that they contain at their lower part by a folding line 62. In this way, the user can proceed with the first operation, i.e., filling water into the compartment. The line 62 is advantageously marked for determining at the same time the exact proportion of water, whose overflow evacuates through the filling hole, as a function of the application conditions, the kind of salts and the quality of the plate or film. The user can then effect the second unfolding operation by breaking, for example, the binding elements of slight resistance holding the casing. The casing is then unfolded to the position in FIG. in which the water in the upper portions of the compartments 16, 17 passes downwardly to simultaneoulsy dissolve the developing and fixing salts. This operation can be speeded up, if so required, by folding the top part of the casing, so as completely to close said casing to enable the user to proceed to shake the whole, seeing that the casing filled with water then behaves appreciably like a rigid tubular element that can be easily handled. It should be noticed that the solutions are not yet in touch with the enclosure housing plate 9 owing to the fact that the casing has still one fold. In an analogous manner to the preceding one, this fold can be easily opened out, as can be seen from FIG. 6, so that the developer solution penetrates into the enclosure and washes over the previously exposed plate or film. At the end of this operation, the user can then remove the closing element 55 and allow the fixing solution to pass to compartment 3.

It will easily be understood that the manner of folding the casing, shown by FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, can be effected in several different ways, as shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9. The pleats or folds are preferably formed and connected by slight resistance zones, which are easily noted and overcome as described to unfold the casing for separation of the three preliminary developing operations, namely, measuring, diluting and developing.

The described folding and unfolding may be used for casings of a different design, for instance, a siphon casing, or a casing made according to FIG. 10. Here the lower part of the casing containing the sensitized plate or film 9 is in direct relation or communication over nearly its entire upper end with the lower end of the developer compartment 16. The latter is isolated from the fixing department 17 by a separation line 65 extended at its lower part by a slanting line 66 so as to define a throttle 67 at the bottom part of the fixing compartment, whose passage section may be easily closed as described above. The upper part of line 65 is also extended by another slanting line 68 whichextends, substantially parallel to line 66 but inside the fixing compartment.

Thus, when the user completely opens out the casing, after the first two operations previously described, the fixing solution is allowed to bathe the exposed plate or film. It is obvious that in such embodiment, it is necessary to stir the solution by hand to compensate for the absence of the passage normally caused by the circulation set up by the evacuation orifice which is omitted. After the time required for developing, the user turns over the casing to evacuate the used developer solution before freeing the fixing solution by the removal of the closing member 55. Upon turning the casing to empty the developer, the line 68 prevents evacuation of the fixing solution through the filler orifice. Then the casing may be righted and the closing member 55- removed, allowing the fixing solution to bathe the film 9. The fixer is then also evacuated by turning the casing upside down before extracting the entirely developed plate or film.

The invention is not restricted to the examples of embodiment, shown and described in detail, for various modifications can be applied thereto without going outside of its scope.

I claim:

1. A pouch for holding, exposure and development of film, comprising an elongated flexible tube formed of material opaque to light but permeable to X-rays, said tube being closed at the bottom to define a lower compartment for holding a sensitized film, means dividing the upper portion of the tube into side by side compartments for holding developer and fixing mediums respectively, a duct communicating said compartment for developer medium directly with said compartment for holding film, a restricted passage communicating said compartment for fixer medium with said compartment for holding film, and a removable blocking means for obstructing said restricted passage during passage of developer medium to the compartment for holding film.

2. A pouch according to claim 1 wherein said compartment for holding film has an inverted V-s'haped ceiling portion and a calibrated evacuation orifice near the apex thereof.

3. A pouch according to claim 2 wherein said means dividing the tube comprises a hot-printed separation line extending axially of the tube, the lower end of said line being extended downwardly by a pair of outwardly inclined lines joined at their bottoms by an upwardly bent separation line, an evacuation orifice in the tube below the bend of said separation line, and a longitudinal separation line extending downwardly from one of said pair of lines to define a lateral duct alongside the lower compartmen and communicating therewith at its bottom.

4. A pouch according to claim 1 wherein said means 5 dividing the tube comprises a hot-printed separation line extending longitudinally of the tube for substantially its entire length above the lower compartment.

5. A pouch according to claim 4 wherein said separation line is disposed along the axis of the tube and is extended at is upper and lower ends by a pair of substantially parallel separation lines inclined downwardly and away from said axis but terminating short of the lateral edges of the tube so as to provide restricted filling and evacuation passages to said compartment for bolding a fixing medium.

6. A pouch according to claim 1 wherein said removable blocking means comprises a low resistance sticking zone formed in the tube.

7. A pouch according to claim 1 wherein said removable blocking means is an elastically deformable clamp 3,195,436 7/1965 Decrop 95-90 NORTON ANSI-1BR, Primary Examiner.

C. B. PRICE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A POUNCH FOR HOLDING, EXPOSURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF FILM, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE TUBE FORMED OF MATERIAL OPAQUE TO LIGHT BUT PERMEABLE TO X-RAYS, SAID TUBE BEING CLOSED AT THE BOTTOM TO DEFINE A LOWER COMPARTMENT FOR HOLDING A SENSITIZED FILM, MEANS DIVIDING THE UPPER PORTION OF THE TUBE INTO SIDE BY SIDE COMPARTMENTS FOR HOLDING DEVELOPER AND FIXING MEDIUMS RESPECTIVELY, A DUCT COMMUNICATING SAID COMPARTMENT FOR DEVELOPER MEDIUM 